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I will never turn on the Big Light. The term has become shorthand for any recessed ceiling light—especially a chest light, especially one with a harsh, cool, too-bright hue. I'm not the only one — as Luke Winkie reported for Slate, The Great Light is polarizing and has become a source of domestic discord between partners and roommates, some of whom view turning on the Great Light as an act of war. The defense is that you have to see; The criticism is that it's like unleashing a wrecking ball on the cozy atmosphere you've created with smaller, warmer lamps.
Like a millennial household, the Big Light has divided the workforce of strategists and sparked heated debates. When I surveyed my colleagues, 32 percent said they never light large lighters, and 68 percent use it with some limitations – mainly in the kitchen or dining room, during work hours and to always change light bulbs.
Dominique Pariso, author: I'm ashamed to admit this, but I'm a Big Light person. I can't see! My roommate comes home every day and turns off the big light.
Tembe Denton-Hurst, author: Dom, I'll buy you a headlight. Vibes about vision.
Alexis Swerdloff, deputy editor: I keep turning on 893 little lights and my husband strolls in and turns on the big light in the ceiling. Do you know what solved my Big Light fight? With this portable lamp I wander around like Ebenezer Scrooge.
Simone Kitchens, senior editor: I changed the light bulbs and put three table lamps in the kitchen. I got this portable device.
Lauren Ro, Home author: I can't see anything – I need really bright light. I literally have nightmares when the light is too dim! When I read in the living room, I need bright light. This includes the ceiling lighting (there is a Noguchi ceiling lamp, but it contains a bulb and is too dim) and all lamps and sconces. As soon as the sun goes down, I turn on the big lights and all the small lamps.
Bella Druckman, junior writer: Lately I've been fascinated with tulip shades that make my ugly Big Lights more bearable.
Liza Corsillo, senior writer: I love tulips! However, I had to change my light bulbs after installation because it was too dark. I still need more lights throughout the house to balance everything out.
Emma Wartzman, food and dining writer: I really like them – I have the ugliest breast lights and they have really solved two problems. I installed one in my dining room, where I need an overhead light while eating, and one in my entryway, where I don't really need nice light, but the light fixture looked particularly awful. They do dim the light a little, but I don't mind.
I also have this floor lamp, one of the best purchases I've ever made – I needed something in a small corner that wasn't a towering floor lamp with a big shade, but there wasn't room for a table lamp either. It's a really great solution for random spots.
Winnie Yang, senior editor: My husband doesn't like a big light unless it's in the right volume of the room. For example, large light fixtures require 20-foot ceilings. He did all the planning for the lighting for our renovation, which is all Sonneman cans. We are both very picky about the temperature of the lighting (it has to be between 2700 and 3000 Kelvin). We hate too blue light.
Erin Schwartz, writer: My partner and I both hate the Great Light. The best light is layered, and the great light is so bright and harsh that it destroys any layers you add.
I even use a warm white tube light from Hay above the cupboards in the kitchen. It's like a less hard overhead. It's fairly bright and mounted high enough to illuminate the entire room, but the light reflects off the ceiling so it's not as directional or aggressive.
Sam Daly, Deal Author: I got lucky when my old job moved from a huge office to a co-working space. We had to downsize a lot so I got this Artemide lamp for free and it's still the best.
Ailbhe Malone, senior writer: I’m a vintage Anglepoise freak – I have five. Large, small, table and bedside tables. No better bendable light and Anglepoise repairs for a lifetime!
Amelia Jerden, sleep author: I think the big light is fine during the day, especially when there's quite a lot of natural light anyway. I hate being in the dark, both about my mood and my vision. But not all great lights are created equal. It really depends on the color and quality of the light – I've had some deeply unsettling big lights, but the ones in my current apartment are fine, so I turn them on often for working, cooking, cleaning, etc.
LC: I'm extremely nearsighted, so bad light triggers a fight-or-flight response for me. That's why I need the big light in stressful times.
Ambar Pardilla, writer: For me, turning on a little light is like taking off my glasses – I don't need to know, I don't need to see, it doesn't bother me.
AJ: I wonder if the big lights in many apartments and newer houses are just worse. Would it be better to replace the standard Big Lights with something less bright and more diffuse?
WY: They're worse, but that's because of the bulbs.
Crystal Martin, senior editor: I have warm, dimly lit bulbs in a clear shade on my ceiling! So I turn it on.
Editor's Note: The clear Ikea shade of Crystal is sold out, but the model below is similar.
WY: We use Lutron Caseta switches with all Hue bulbs in the lamps. You can adjust the color and brightness of your phone and turn it on/off remotely. We've connected it to HomeKit and all the other device ecosystems we're in. So you can just say, “Siri, turn the living room lights to 60 percent,” and it will happen.
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